The Federal Government (FG) has began the recruitment of 76,000 youths from the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory for the National Directorate of Employment, NDE job programmes.
Mr Nnamdi Asomogha, the Rivers State Coordinator, (NDE), on Friday said out of the 76, 000 youths, 2,000 from each state are to undergo skills training, while 260 graduates will receive N129.5 million to establish and run small-scale enterprises.
He added that the agency has started recruiting 2,000 youths under its Vocational Skills Development Programme in Rivers state in a statement signed by the Information Officer, Mr Legeneedumka Gbenemene.
“Under the massive recruitment programme, 2,000 unskilled youths will be recruited into the skills acquisition scheme under the Vocational Skills Development Programme.
“Federal Government will, in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, recruit 76, 000 youths, 2,000 from each state to undergo skills training, while 260 graduates will receive N129.5 million to establish and run small-scale enterprises.
“They will also undergo training in trades such as cosmetology and other marketable skills relevant to the economic environment of the beneficiaries,” Asomugha said.
The coordinator said N500, 000 would be given as loan to each of the 260 graduates under the employment programme.
Asomugha said that the beneficiaries were to use the loan to create small enterprises under the small scale enterprises to be tagged “Start-Your-Own-Business (SYOB)”.
He said that the new NDE Director-General, Dr Nasiru Argungu, was determined to re-position the NDE to effectively tackle the problem of mass unemployment in the country.
“The NDE has the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari to embark on massive job creation across the country and the DG is so determined to carry out the President’s directive on job creation.
“The directorate has written a memo to the Gov Nyesom Wike to brief him about the implementation of the NDE programme in the state.
“We have requested the governor to directly recruit youths into the scheme to ensure that the state government is part of the job creation effort.
“We have also contacted Senators and members of the House of Representatives from the state to also recruit unemployed youths from their various constituencies into the programme,
“We informed the members of the State House of Assembly and all traditional rulers in the state to recruit their unemployed youths from all the communities in the state.
The state coordinator said that the trainees would be paid a monthly stipend of N2,000 each.
Asomugha said that the programme would commence by December and would last for three months.
“We are set to implement the programme in Rivers State and we call on all unemployed youths to key into the programme immediately.
